Overall a decent IPA, a bit light overall on bitterness, and more on the earthy grassy leafy herbal side of the hops, not my fav kind as well as the palate of most Americans these days. Decent beer but nothing special.

T: The taste starts out sweet with flavors of citrus and caramel. Then a mild hops presence for the style comes in. The malt character is also on the thin side for the style but it provides some balance. The after-taste is slightly sweet.

Bomber into my Notch 0.5L pint shaker
A - nice clear bronze, decent head, lacings persist
S - sour milk, a little fruity, not what I was expecting. A little off-putting
T - IPA? Where are the hops? I'm getting a weird fruity taste. Spicyness. Almost as if this is some kind of a winter warmer. I'm drinking it, but I'm not enjoying it.
M - Crisp.
O - Is something going on - this is two bottles I've opened tonight, neither of which tastes very good. This at least is not going down the sink. The label is lovely - I wish I liked it.

It's been a long time since I've had a beer foam out of the bottle. This one was explosive. It stands to reason that there is a solid head that settles in a lumpy way. Plenty of spots on the glass as the beer goes down. Light gold color with a definitive haze bringing a bit of white to it.

Floral hop up front with yeast in the background.

Pale, grainy malt start but the hop kicks in during the swallow--darkly bitter with a heavy yeasty finish. Relatively thin for the style. The high carbonation doesn't help here. Surprisingly short aftertaste. Think overhopped homebrew.

A - Pours a deep golden color with hints of amber, very good clarity, three fingers of dense white foam with excellent staying power. Head falls slowly leaving lots of sticky lacing on the glass.

S - This has a fresh and extemely green hop aroma. Hops also show some spice and some juicy citrus. Sweet malt, grainy, doughy...doesn't quite have the typical hop character of IPA's...missing the grapefruity and piney aspects, more malt character than typical also.

T - Hop bitterness up front which is rather hard and medicinal and lingering from beginning til well after the swallow. Missing most of the hop flavors I expected to get from the aroma. Under the bitterness is a heavy malty base full of bread dough and maltose.

M - The body is medium and has an assertive carbonation to it. Medicinal bitterness is a bit distracting and covers up most of whatever else is in the beer. All that comes thru is a thick maltose/wort'y/unfermented flavor and some green and grassy hop flavor, but these don't add much to it overall.

O - I really wanted to like this beer being from a new local brewery only a couple towns away from me. Unfortunately, this one largely misses the mark for me. The hop flavors are almost totally missing - only medicinal bitterness makes it thru. The malty flavors seem to be a bit off and out of character for the style.

The brilliantly clear, medium amber liquid was ever-so-slightly clouded by a bit of the conditioning yeast late in the pour. A fluffy, bright white, three-finger tall crown topped the beer. Minimal lacing. A few small streaks stuck along the glass.

The aroma was hoppy and really pleasant. Sweet, fruity hops dominated. Juicy and citrusy. Lots of candied orange peel. Some tropical fruit notes came through as well. Hints of mango and pineapple were detectible.

The flavor profile was also very hop forward. Tangerine and orange peel notes were quite apparent. Fruity and juicy. Grapefruit was noticeable. Hint of peach as well. The hops were balanced by a subtle, pale malt backbone. The beer finished crisp and dry. Moderately bitter with notes of grapefruit pith.

The mouthfeel was perhaps the least impressive aspect of this beer. It was lighter bodied and contained a spritzy effervescence. Nevertheless, the beer was still surprisingly creamy and smooth.

There are scores of new craft breweries popping up in my area, and most unfortunately put out some pretty mediocre products. Berkley IPA, however, is an immensely flavorful version of the style that drinks incredibly well, despite its formidable ABV. This could be a dangerously sessionable IPA.